Nearly three quarters of people in Gloucestershire would be likely to return plastic bottle and aluminium cans in return for a 10p deposit, according to a nationwide survey.

A national poll by YouGov has revealed 74 per cent of British consumers would be happy to return the bottles and cans in return for a 10p deposit.

The poll, commissioned by waste and recycling firm SUEZ, surveyed more than 2,000 adults across Britain and also found that 80 per cent of people believe there should be more public recycling bins.

Plastic bottles

Nearly two-fifths of people confessed they would most likely throw plastic bottles or cans into a general rubbish bin – where they are destined for landfill or incineration – if a recycling bin isn’t nearby.

Only a quarter of people said they could either “always” or “often” find a recycling bin for plastic bottles (26%) or aluminium cans (25%) when they are out and about.

A further eight per cent of people admitted they were most likely to put bottles and cans in recycling bins for other materials in the absence of an appropriate bin – causing contamination.

A report by the firm said that if a deposit return scheme was successful it could contribute £1billion to the nation’s economy as well as boost recycling rates, reduce recycling contamination and clamp down on litter.

A new scheme will be introduced to boost recycling

Under a national DRS system, more public recycling points could be provided through retailers and manufacturers, helping people to return bottles and can and redeem their deposit.

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Furthermore, when asked how they would most like to redeem their 10p deposits given the choice, more than half of those asked said they would rather donate the deposit to charity or public services/ initiatives, or redeem it as retailer reward points or money-off vouchers.

Forty per cent of poll participants said they would claim back the cash.

The results of the poll are released alongside the findings of a new report by SUEZ, which suggests the best scheme of its type for Britain should only target smaller sized plastic bottles and aluminium cans to yield the best returns.

A wheelie bin for recycling

It is understood they would have the biggest impact on cutting down on litter and wouldn’t undermine existing collection schemes.

It is suggested nearly 8.8billion plastic bottles and 97billion aluminium cans are sold in the UK every year – but only 57 per cent of bottles and 70 per cent for aluminium cans are recycled.

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SUEZ believes that a deposit scheme has the potential to increase recycling rates to more than 80 per cent for both plastic bottles and aluminium cans.

David Palmer-Jones, chief executive for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK said: “For just 10p a container, we can clean up Britain’s streets and boost our recycling rates to become one of Europe’s best.

Plastic bottles

“An independent YouGov poll has confirmed SUEZ’s long-held belief that people want to do more to recycle, but may need help with better ‘binfrastructure’, which a deposit return scheme could provide at no cost to the public purse.

“We believe bringing manufacturers and consumers together under a deposit return scheme will help the nation recycle more bottles and cans, at the same time as reducing litter and improving the cleanliness and quality of materials returned to manufacturers.

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“SUEZ has long been a champion of deposit return schemes, but they are not a panacea to Britain’s long-term sustainability challenges, and should only be just part of a much wider producer-responsibility regime to incentivise the most sustainable choices for both consumers and manufacturers, which will in turn protect our natural capital.”